New Cars Nudge Woodbridge Grand List Higher

A slight .78 percent uptick in the value of Woodbridge tax base partly comes from an unexpected source. Even though 97 fewer cars on the tax rolls in the 2011 Grand List, the taxable assessed value has jumped 8 percent.

This seems to be an indicator that the economy is improving and people are spending, according to Assessor Betsy Quist.

"That shows the economy is turning somewhere whether they're buying more expensive cars...or newer cars. That's a good note," she said during Wednesday's Board of Selectmen meeting in .

All 8,398 vehicles registered in Woodbridge totaled $82 million.

The Grand List is the sum of all taxable property in town, which includes private homes, commercial buildings, any equipment and materials a business uses and cars. The total value of everything in Woodbridge is $1.2 billion. Nonprofits and government buildings are tax exempt and not included.

If the current mill rate remains the same in the next fiscal year, the town would collect $308,622 more. Traditionally, a bigger Grand List means less of a reason to raise property taxes.

The biggest loss in assessed value was for the utility lines owned by Connecticut Light & Power. Due to age, their value dropped $929,000 from the previous year.